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See thickest of Acacia, Tamarix, Phoenix and Nerium at the hot springs of Zara

Tour through a landscape of biblical significance

Overview

Transfer from Aqaba through the beautiful Wadi Araba and Jordan’s Wadi Mujib grand canyon. Drive through a stunning scenery of rocky desert and steppe-type vegetation en route to the biblical Dead Sea area.

What to Expect

Take a scenic drive from Aqaba to the Dead Sea as you journey through a stunning and historic desert environment. See places of biblical importance and breathtaking beauty, from sparsely covered steppes to dramatic gorges.

You will travel along the hottest, southern stretch of the Arabah in Jordan, 103 miles (166 kilometers) in length, stretching from the Gulf of Aqaba to the southern shore of the Dead Sea. Topographically, the region is divided into three sections.

From the Gulf of Aqaba northward, the land gradually rises over a distance of 48 miles (77 kilometers) and reaches a height of 750 feet (230 meters) above sea level. It represents the watershed divide between the Dead Sea and the Red Sea. From this crest, the land slopes gently northward over the next 46 miles (74 kilometers) to a point 9.3 miles (15 kilometers) south of the Dead Sea. In the last section, the Arabah drops steeply to the Dead Sea, which at 1,368 feet (417 meters) below sea level is the lowest point on earth, and historically still falling.

In Biblical times the area was a center of copper production; King Solomon apparently had mines here. The Arabah was home to the Edomites (Edom was called "Idumea" in Roman times). East of the Arabah was the domain of the Nabateans, the builders of the city of Petra.

You will see Wadi Mujib, historically known as Arnon, and a dramatic gorge that enters the Dead Sea at 1,345 feet (410 meters) below sea level. The Mujib reserve consists of mountainous, rocky, and sparsely vegetated desert, with cliffs, gorges, and deep wadis cutting through plateaus. Perennial, spring-fed streams flow down the wadis to the shores of the Dead Sea.

Gaze at the slopes of the mountainous land, sparsely vegetated with steppe-type vegetation on the plateaus. Groundwater seepage occurs in places along the Dead Sea shore, such as the hot springs of Zara, allowing sights of a luxuriant thicket of Acacia, Tamarix, Phoenix and Nerium, as well as a small marsh. You will also see the less severe slopes of the reserve, which are used by pastoralists for the grazing of sheep and goats.

What's Included

Transportation by new air-conditioned vehicles according to the group size